Week 10 - "Be My Sunshine in the Day"

It is Monday again – sending out this week’s part of the prayer!

As a recap, here is the great prayer from Elizabeth Rhodes:

"Grant me, gracious Lord, a pure intention of heart, and a steadfast regard to your glory in all my actions. Possess my mind continually with your presence, and fill it with your love, that my whole delight may be to repose in the arms of your protection. Be light to my eyes, music to my ears, sweetness to my taste, and full contentment to my heart. Be my sunshine in the day, my food at the table, my repose in the night, my clothing in company, my succor in all necessities.
Lord Jesus, I give you my body, my soul, my substance, my fame, my friends, my liberty, and my life. Dispose of me, and all that is mine, as seems best to you, and to the glory of your blessed name. I am not my own, but yours; therefore claim me as your right, keep me as your charge, and love me as your child. Fight for me when I am assailed, heal me when I am wounded, and revive me when I am destroyed.
My Lord and my God, I ask you to give me patience in troubles, humility in comforts, constancy in temptations, and victory over all my ghostly enemies. Grant me sorrow for my sins, thankfulness for my benefits, fear of your judgments, love of your mercies, and mindfulness of your presence for evermore. Make me humble to my superiors and friendly to my equals, ready to please all and loathe to offend any; loving to my friends and charitable to my enemies. Give me modesty in my countenance, gravity in my behavior, deliberation in my speech, holiness in my thoughts, and righteousness in all my actions. Let your mercy cleanse me from my sins, and your grace bring forth in me the fruits of everlasting life.
Lord, let me be obedient without arguing, humble without feigning, patient without grudging, pure without corruption, mercy without lightness, sad without mistrust, sober without dullness, true without duplicity, fearing you without desperation, and trusting you without presumption. Let me joyful for nothing but that which pleases you, and sorrowful for nothing but what displeases you: that labor be my delight which is for you, and let all weary me that is not in you. Give me a waking spirit, and a diligent soul, that I may seek to know your will, and when I know it may I perform it faithfully to the honor and glory of your ever blessed name. Amen."

Chilcote took this prayer that is divided into four roughly equal parts and provided a theme for each section:
Part 1: Who is God to me? (first paragraph of prayer)
Part 2: What can I give to and ask of God? (second)
Part 3: How does God shape my life? (third)
Part 4: How do I live as a disciple of Christ? (fourth)

Today, we continue with part one from Chilcote.

Scripture

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.....The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” - John 1:1-5,9

Meditation

Light, as we have already seen, figures prominently in Elizabeth’s prayer and surfaces several times. Charles Wesley filled his sacred poetry with allusions to the light. Some of his most powerful hymns celebrate the light of Christ. Few compare to his “Morning Hymn,” however, more generally known by its first line, “Christ, whose glory fills the skies.” The contrasting images of the second stanza emphasize the importance of the light of Christ in our lives. Journeying through our days without Christ as our companion results in a dark and joyless life. But when the beams of God’s mercy break through the clouds of this gloomy world, the illumination of the Son warms our hearts and cheers our eyes. The darkness cannot overcome this light, for Jesus is the true and only Light, the Sun of Righteousness, the Dayspring, the Daystar who arises in our hearts with healing in his wings. The light of Christ penetrates to the depth of our very being, pierces our gloom, scatters our unbelief, and shines through our lives into the world.

The writer of John’s Gospel connects this light with life. Apart from this light, life is but a shadow land. The good news is that God shines this light into the life of every person. The Wesleys celebrated this prevenient grace – this offer of God’s love extended to everyone before any even know the difference between the darkness and the light. John and Charles Wesley devoted their ministry to showing people how to open the window of their soul to let in the light.

Prayer

Gracious Lord, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, you enlighten every person coming into this world: visit my soul today, pierce the darkness that surrounds me, and fill me with your radiant presence that others might encounter your light in me. Amen.

Part Eleven coming next Monday...
pcraig